Perched atop the northeast corner of Neyland Stadium is section ZZ15, where Corryton twins Janella Cardwell and Janetta Reynolds sit in their newly purchased season-ticket seats.

They can hear the University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland Band playing "Rocky Top," but they can’t see the band.

They can see the Volunteer players, but they can’t read the numbers on their jerseys.

They can’t see the JumboTron, which looms over the south end of the stadium, from their seats.

None of that bothers Reynolds and Cardwell.

"I wouldn’t trade my seats to see the JumboTron. I like it under here," Cardwell said, prior to the Vols’ kickoff against Air Force earlier this season.

Their seats — two of the 102,038 officially available — are two rows down from the highest point in the stadium. They may not have the best seats in the house, but the twins are right where they want to be.

Good thing, too, because they’d be destined to cheer from the nosebleed section for a while, even if they had a notion of relocating.

It takes time and money to move from the corner of the upper deck to the 50-yard line — typically, season after season in less-than-perfect seats and dollar after dollar donated to the UT Athletic Department.

According to Scott Carter, assistant director of development for the athletic department, season tickets for various locations throughout Neyland Stadium become available for financial backers of Big Orange sports.

If a donation is large enough, a donor can more quickly reach the coveted better seats.

"A new contributor to the program could get a pair of tickets on the sideline in ‘great seats’ their first year if they make the corresponding donation of $2,500 to $5,000 in order to qualify for those seats," Carter said.

More commonly, a better view comes after many years, based on a system that rewards steady generosity and longevity of donations.

Priority is based on a points system. Donors receive one point for every $100 contributed to the athletic department and five points for every consecutive year of giving, Carter said.

The amount of money donated plus the consecutive number of years those donations are made are the keys to getting those sideline seats.

For now, seats 15 and 16 in row 25 of section ZZ15 will have to suffice for Cardwell and Reynolds.

They don’t need to be on the 50-yard line or in a luxury skybox. As long as they are inside Neyland Stadium on any given Saturday during the fall and decked out in orange and white attire, they are nothing but all smiles.

Both are UT graduates, but they haven’t always been able to attend many Big Orange football games since their school days ended.

"We love UT. We graduated from UT, but don’t ask me what year," Reynolds said with a laugh.

In places where the JumboTron is not visible, UT provides televisions so fans with poor sightlines can see replays and pre-game activities. Reynolds and Cardwell said a television used to hang near their seats, but it is no longer there. The lack of a TV is the only drawback to their seats, they said.

Across the field in the southwest corner of the stadium, Atlanta, Ga., native Jennifer Heard cheered for the Vols in section QQ.

Heard doesn’t have season tickets. Instead, she ordered them online from the UT Ticket Office.

When ordering online from the UT Ticket Office, she said, customers are supposed to get the best available seats. She didn’t necessarily consider these the best, however.

"It’s too steep," Heard said during the second quarter of the Air Force game. "It’s scary. The press box blocks the view."

On the plus side, however, she had a clear view of the JumboTron.

UT sells tickets for seats with obstructed views on a game-by-game basis.

"The tickets are clearly marked ‘obstructed view’ so the fan is aware," Carter said.

Carter said the ticket office tells buyers the best seats aren’t available for popular games like Florida or — in the case of this week — Alabama.

For those like Heard whose blood runs deep orange, every game is a popular game. She and her husband plan to drive to games from Atlanta three times this year.

Heard became a Vol fan by marrying one. She prefers the orange and white scenery inside Neyland Stadium to the colors of the University of Georgia.

"It’s better than red and black. It’s much more vibrant," she said. "Red and black are dull."

Like Reynolds and Cardwell, Heard doesn’t care where her seat is, as long as it’s overlooking Shields-Watkins Field.

"I’m just thankful," she said, "that I’m able to be inside Neyland Stadium."

Roger Alexander Lowe may be reached at 865-342-6341.